A Darkness Within
by SonicGenesis89
Summary: Sonic was on a mission to stop Eggman when something goes horribly wrong. When exposed to the negative energies of the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic undergoes a horrid transformation and loses himself.


_**This was a spur of the moment story. I usually sit and plan out my stories before I write them but this one just sort of came to me randomly. It was dark, cloudy, and rainy outside today so it set me in the mood to write something like this. I plan to finish up "Jumanji" chapter one hopefully tomorrow and then I will be returning to "A Bitter Upbringing and a Tender Love". I also plan to fix grammatical errors found in Bitter Upbringing's current chapters and also add more content to some of them. So there is a lot to look forward to with that story. :)**_

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><p><em><strong>Summary<strong>_

_Sonic was on a mission to stop Eggman when something goes horribly wrong. When exposed to the negative energies of the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic undergoes a horrid transformation and loses himself. As the darkness takes complete control over him, he is unable to prevent himself from trying to harm even his own friends._

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><p><strong>A Darkness Within<strong>

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><p>The sun had begun to set over the horizon creating a sky filled with vibrant colors of pink, yellow and orange. The beautiful and surreal colors reflected in a shallow river's waters deep within the Mystic Ruins. Another reflection shown was that of Sonic the Hedgehog. There he sat with his legs to his chest staring at his reflection in the water with a blank, empty expression on his usually carefree face.<p>

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><p><em>Sonic and Tails raced through the center of Eggman's base with haste. Everything was going according to plan and the only thing left to do was retrieve the chaos emeralds and meet up with the rest of the team. As they reached their desired destination, they saw the seven chaos emeralds sitting atop a bizarre looking mechanical altar meant to simulate the altar found on Angel Island.<em>

"_Heh, this was too easy." Sonic said cockily. He smiled triumphantly and raced up the steps while Tails stopped short feeling a little apprehensive. The chaos emeralds didn't look right. Their colors were darker than usual and there was a blackish blue aura emanating from them._

"_Sonic wait!" Tails shouted. "There's something wrong with the emeralds!" But it was too late. Sonic had already picked up one of the emeralds and was now looking at Tails questioningly._

_Before Sonic could respond, he was suddenly overcome by excruciating pain. He fell to his knees and squeezed his eyes shut as he tried his hardest not to scream out. He felt a strange, unknown energy coursing through him that felt like an electric current surging throughout his body. As the pain increased, Sonic was no longer able to hold back his urge to scream._

_Tails watched the scene in horror and ran up the steps to help his best friend. "Sonic! Sonic what's wrong? What's happening to you?" He asked in alarm as he knelt beside his big brother. Sonic continued to scream unable to respond. Tails' voice sounded far and distant as if he were no longer in the room. Sonic's body began to shake fiercely and he gritted his teeth as he tried to bare with the internal assault attacking him._

_Tails looked down and noticed Sonic was still clutching the chaos emerald tightly in his hand. He also noticed Sonic's gloves were ripped and his nails were protruding out, alarmingly longer and sharper than usual._

"_It's the emerald doing this! You need to let go of it!" Tails yelled as he tried to pry the emerald out of Sonic's hand. Sonic jerked his hand away from Tails and growled angrily, his grip on the emerald unyielding. Sonic was becoming overcome with an emotion that was usually foreign to him. And that was anger. He felt a rage burning in his heart and the longer he endured the pain the more anger and hatred he was beginning to feel._

"_S-Sonic..." Tails murmured, beginning to feel frightened. A dark haze was beginning to cloud Sonic's mind as he started to feel faint. Tails eyes widened in fear as he noticed the same colored aura beginning to form and surround Sonic. His playful and vibrant emerald green eyes were now replaced with that of a dark crimson red and his cobalt blue fur was turning into a dark navy blue. His gloves and socks were ripped to shreds and Sonic's teeth had grown sharper, longer and more menacing._

_Tails stood there frozen in horror as he watched his big brother transform right before his very eyes. Sonic quickly looked up at Tails and grabbed him roughly. Tails yelped in fear as he stared into Sonic's unnaturally dark crimson eyes. "R-Run T-Tails...G-Get away f-from m-me..." Sonic managed to say in a low voice. Even his voice had changed. It was becoming darker, colder, and emotionless, almost evil sounding. Tails shuddered. Sonic pushed Tails forcefully away from himself before everything went dark._

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><p>Sonic closed his eyes and grimaced at the memory. It was the last thing he could remember. That, and waking up in a half destroyed base surrounded by his friends. They were all staring at him with sheer terror in their eyes.<p>

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><p>"<em>W-What happened...? What happened to me...?" Sonic asked feeling disoriented. When nobody answered him he looked up at them feeling uneasy. "What's wrong...?" He asked beginning to worry.<em>

_Everyone remained silent and looked at him with unease, some even looking remorseful. Their grim expressions and silence were beginning to scare him. He looked down at himself and was shocked at what he saw. His usually white gloves were now ripped and saturated in a crimson liquid and his nails were exposed. It took him a moment to realize that both of his hands were drenched in blood. He let out a frightened gasp and backed away._

"_W-What..." Was all Sonic could manage to say. He felt his stomach churning and the sudden urge to get sick. He felt his heart beginning to race as his head swam with questions. What the hell was going on here? He looked around nervously and noticed Tails and Cream kneeling beside someone laying on the floor. He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat and shakily stood up from the cold hard floor to see who it was._

_He felt his heart stop instantaneously as his eyes fell on an unconscious Amy Rose. On both of her arms were deep gashes that looked like claw marks. Sonic couldn't believe what was happening. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He looked at her wounds and then back down at his hands in realization. He did this to her; he hurt her. "I-I..." He stuttered in shock and disbelief. Tails looked up at Sonic apologetically before turning his attention back to a sobbing and terrified Cream._

_Sonic looked around at the rest of his friends feeling guilty. He couldn't help but notice how roughed up Knuckles and Shadow looked. What had he done? Why couldn't he remember? "I-I didn't..." He stammered looking down at the floor. He couldn't face them, he couldn't face the fact that he had actually caused Amy harm. He had always fought to protect her; he always rescued her from harm or danger. He couldn't fathom ever hurting anyone especially his friends._

_Another feeling he was not used to experiencing took over him. And that was shame. He began backing up slowly unable to face any of his friends. He couldn't take this, his mind was screaming at him. He felt his heart sinking as he took another glance at Amy. He wasn't even sure if she was okay. Without another word, he turned around and quickly fled out of the base, running as fast as his feet could carry him._

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><p>Sonic felt his body trembling as the horrific images of Amy's injuries continued to plague his mind. It had been hours since he had fled the scene and he still could not remember the things he had done. All he knew was that the moment his hand had touched that emerald, everything had gone drastically wrong. As he was running he had found solace in the deep forest of the Mystic Ruins where he stopped at a nearby river bank to think.<p>

He looked over across from him to see his discarded bloodied gloves laying idly on the ground a few feet away from him. No matter how many times he rinsed his hands in the cool refreshing water, he still could feel Amy's blood on them. It was a sickening feeling. He couldn't stop worrying about her since he left. He hoped with all his heart that she was okay. He hugged his legs against his chest in dire need of comfort and returned to staring at his reflection in the clear water.

He didn't even want to face himself. The reflection staring back at him in the water was not the hero everyone had thought him to be. He was no better than the ruthless villains he fought and opposed on a daily basis. He was no hero. Sonic sat in deep thought, unsure of what to do from here. He couldn't face his friends after the wrongs he had committed. How could he face Amy after hurting her so severely? She must hate him now. He winced at the thought of her being terrified of him.

"Sonic...?" A soft voice asked. Sonic was startled out of his thoughts and turned around to find the owner of the voice. His eyes widened as he saw Amy slowly approaching him, albeit timidly. He felt a wave of relief flow through him knowing now that she was alright.

He frowned and looked away, unable to face her. "Stay away from me." He said rather coldly. Amy stopped where she was, slightly startled by his tone of voice. Sonic winced inwardly noticing how uneasy and cautious she was acting around him. His suspicions were right, she is afraid of him now. Amy took a deep breath and slowly began walking towards him again.

"I won't do that. You can't ask me to." She replied in almost a whisper.

Sonic looked up at her and noticed her arms both completely wrapped in bandages and frowned. "If you don't...I'll only hurt you again..." Sonic said despondently as he looked back at the water.

"No you won't...I know you won't." Amy said assuringly as she sat down beside him.

He kept his attention on the water refusing to look at her. "How do you know that?" He asked in a low voice, feeling uncertain.

She smiled weakly at him. "Because...the one who hurt me earlier wasn't you." She stated simply.

He looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You don't remember any of it do you?" She asked him, her jade eyes meeting his. He shook his head slowly.

"Tails explained to everyone how the emeralds were reacting strangely." She explained.

"Yeah...the moment I touched that emerald...something happened to me..." He said in a pained voice.

"He said the emeralds were emitting negative energy. That's what was affecting you." She stated.

"Negative energy?" He asked, feeling a bit surprised. She nodded. As he took the new information in, it all made sense. It explained why he felt so angry and hateful before blacking out.

"I wasn't strong enough to fight it...I let it take control of me..." He whispered dismally as he looked at his reflection in the water. Amy laid her head against his shoulder and placed her hand over his encouragingly. Sonic pulled his hand away from her quickly. Amy frowned, her eyes filled with hurt. "Sonic-"

"You're wrong Amy..." Sonic said, cutting her off. He edged himself away from her. "I am the one who hurt you...Y-Your blood was on my hands...Just look at my gloves..." He exclaimed in a hurt voice.

"If this happens again...who knows what I'll do. Next time I could...I-I could even kill-" He was suddenly cut off as Amy pulled him into a strong embrace. Sonic just sat there for a moment as she hugged him feeling slightly dazed. He could feel her body trembling and knew she was trying her hardest not to cry. He slowly and gently wrapped his arms around her and accepted her embrace, desperate for her comfort. He closed his eyes and held her tightly.

"Ames..." He said unevenly, his eyes feeling moist. She whimpered in his arms. "Sonic..." She mumbled into his chest. "It wasn't you...It wasn't..." She cried softly. Sonic could feel her hot tears soaking his fur.

Amy pulled away slowly and wiped at her eyes furiously. "T-Tails told me how...how when you were being affected by the emerald...y-you pushed him away...you told him to run away...You were trying to protect him Sonic!" She cried.

"I don't remember anything after that." He quickly replied.

She shook her head. "When you went after me...it was almost as if you were fighting with yourself at times Sonic. You were trying to protect me!" She exclaimed, trying to reassure him.

"And just look at how well that turned out." He said bitterly as he looked at her bandaged arms. "I'm no different than the villains I fight everyday. I'm not the hero everyone thought I was..." He said sourly.

Amy looked at him incredulously. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "How can you say that Sonic?" She asked him. "You are the most selfless and caring person I have ever met! You always fight for freedom and what you believe in! You are always there to help your friends, or even strangers. You are a hero Sonic! You're always risking your life to save everyone..." She said genuinely.

Sonic smiled weakly at the compliments but remained silent and kept his gaze on the river in front of them. He didn't want to admit that he felt weak, vulnerable, and helpless. As if reading his mind she muttered "You're not invincible Sonic...Everyone has a weakness." She made a gesture towards the water that earned her a smile from him.

His smile faded just as quickly as it came. "I can't go near the chaos emeralds again. I don't wanna to risk it." He said adamantly.

"But Sonic...you're always able to use the emeralds positive energy...Eggman corrupted them this time and-" Sonic cut her off.

"I don't care! I'm not going to risk hurting you or anyone else again." He said sternly.

Amy looked down and frowned. She knew how much this was hurting him and how scared he must feel. She wordlessly laid her head on his shoulder and sighed softly. Sonic's expression softened and he gently laid his head against hers and closed his eyes. The two stayed like this for a while and Sonic realized just how much he needed her comfort right now. "It's okay to be afraid..." Amy whispered as she watched the fireflies hovering over the water.

Sonic took in a deep breath. "When I woke up and saw what I had done...and realized I had no control over myself...it terrified me Amy...I don't want to ever go through that again...I don't want to ever hurt you again..." Amy felt her heart skip a beat when she realized just how much Sonic must care about her.

"I know..." She said soothingly.

"I...I don't even know how I'm going to face the others..." Sonic said apprehensively.

"You won't have to face them alone...You'll have me by your side." She said reassuringly. Sonic smiled weakly.

Amy stood up and looked at the early evening sky. "Everyone's worried about you Sonic...they're all waiting for us back at Tails workshop."

Sonic stood himself up and stretched. "How did you know how to find me?" He asked her curiously.

She smiled sheepishly. "The same way I _always_ find you." She giggled lightly and he smiled slightly.

Amy slowly moved close to Sonic and gently kissed him on his cheek. He stared at her wide eyed and flustered unable to find words. "I love you Sonic...I'll always stay by your side. No matter what happens." She declared as she grabbed his arm gingerly and began to lead him through the forest. "Thanks Amy..." Sonic replied sadly, albeit appreciatively.

The two of them began to quietly head back to Tails workshop. Amy knew Sonic was going to need a lot of time and support to get over this traumatic experience but knew with her and the rest of their friends help, he'll eventually go back to the same old Sonic they all know and love.

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><p><em><strong>Author Note - I had a lot of other ideas planned for this story but they just didn't seem to fit anywhere so I decided not to use them. When Sonic mentions not wanting to use the Chaos Emeralds again, he's saying this out of his own fear of being exposed to negative energy again. He doesn't want to turn into Dark Sonic again and possibly hurt anyone. It doesn't mean our hero will forever refuse to use the Chaos Emeralds, but right now he's still recovering from his traumatic experience. I don't think I explained that well so I just wanted to voice it out there. I had an idea to do an entire flashback showing what Sonic did while he was in his dark form but I couldn't make it work, so what I'm thinking is possibly making a bonus chapter of that in the future. :)<strong>_


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